


Blooming Flowers

by dokimekii



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Multi, Nonbinary My Unit | Byleth, Post-Azure Moon but like 800 years afterward, Will add more ship tags as the story progresses, no beta we die like Glenn, there’s ships but it’s not the main focus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27084214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dokimekii/pseuds/dokimekii
Summary: Over 800 years after the War, Fódlan has faded into mythology. Byleth, Seteth, and Flayn are all teachers at Garreg Mach Academy. Yet, behind the scenes, they are working to find Rhea, who disappeared 4 years ago, as well as discover the truth behind the demonic beasts that have been reappearing, and the reincarnations of those who died long ago.-After being forced into the Paranormal Investigation Club at her new school, Edelgard realizes that the club is more than just chasing after rumours. With a scheming club leader and a brother that she never wanted to reunite with, the three of them work together to kill demonic beasts, and discover the truth behind them.There’s something strange going on in the shadows, something far bigger than any of them realize.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Edelgard von Hresvelg & Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril, My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan
Comments: 15
Kudos: 52





	1. Blue Sea Moon: An Encounter at Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard has an encounter with a demonic beast, and a mysterious stranger.

It’s July. The air is hot and humid, and white clouds are scattered across the sky.

Edelgard is alone. Walking on what used to be a path in a forest, it’s now faded into simply grass.

Hatchet in hand, Edelgard keeps walking forward, unsure where the path will take her. 

_ Fuck... I’m lost. Where even am I? _

Edelgard stops and sighs, looking up to the sky but only seeing dark green leaves that hide it.

She had been running, as she always was. Running from the police, and those awful beasts that...

_ Stop thinking about that. Stay calm. It’s been years since then, it’s nothing more than a distant memory. _

Shaking away memories that threatened to cloud her thoughts, and with no other options, Edelgard kept walking forward. She needed to get out of this forest.

Birds whispered in the trees and squirrels rustled in the undergrowth. There was nothing in that forest that threatened her, just animals simply living there.

She found herself out of the forest, the sky now a brillant bright red, the sun sinking behind the... mountains?And on these mountains there were great stone walls, most of them crumbling from years of neglect. Beyond those walls were more towers and buildings made of the same stone. A hidden place nestled in the mountains.

Even to Edelgard, who didn’t have much interest in such things, thought it was breathtaking. 

Yet... she had this odd sense of panic. A feeling that she wasn’t supposed to be there. To see this place. It was dangerous to be there. If she stayed there, she would be killed. There was no logical reason behind it, after all, she was always in danger, yet here that feeling increased tenfold. Why was it here that she felt so vulnerable? 

She had never been here before, yet she had a memory of being there... no, not a memory. It wasn’t anything she had experienced for herself. She knew for certain she hadn’t been here before. She had feelings associated with this place, but no memories of it. No memories, no logic, just emotions. She didn’t know why... but she was certain it was true.

A ghastly wail snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Dammit!”

She muttered. 

She had gotten distracted. She heard the familiar, horrifying cry of a demonic beast. She whipped around, turning back to look at the forest, prepared to fight whatever beast was there. It was too close to her, she couldn’t outrun it. 

It was the biggest demonic beast she had ever seen. She quickly pushed down her feelings of fear, she had to in order to survive. 

_ I won’t die here. There’s still so much I haven’t done yet. _

She gripped her hatchet, which felt so small compared to the giant beast in front of her. It roared at her, with... was that  blood ? Blood was dripping from its mouth. It had already killed something... or even someone else. Despite her attempts to stay calm and keep a cool head, she couldn’t stop the panic rising through her.

_ I can’t kill this beast. But I must kill it. I need to survive here! _

She gasped and reflexively stepped to the right as a flash of light curved past her, nearly cutting her light brown hair, stabbing the demonic beast in the head. She turned her head to see-

A person. A human. Someone with a glowing sword made of bones. Their hair was dark blue, with strands of pale green growing at the roots. Their eyes were a bright turquoise.

“Who... are you?”

Edelgard asked, her voice coming out raspy and quiet.

_ And why did you help me? _

The person stared at her for a second before answering. A cluster of clouds in the sky parted, revealing the sun that had been hiding behind the darkness. The sun shined on the mysterious person, leaving Edelgard in the shadows. The person seemed... ethereal.

_ They’re just a regular person, Edelgard. Stop making things so dramatic. _

Though they obviously weren’t a regular person, since they could see the beasts that so many people ignored.

“Byleth Eisner. You should focus on fighting for now.”

Byleth walked up next to Edelgard, their strange sword still glowing red.

“Hm. I suppose you’re right.”

Edelgard steadied her voice, pushing down her feelings of confusion and awe. 

She has to be confident and strong. She can’t be seen as vulnerable. Especially not by a stranger.

_ This is unreasonable. They’re obviously not going to hurt me, or else they would have just let the beast kill me. But there’s no way they would help me without wanting something in return.  _ That’s _ unreasonable. _

So, she put on the mask.

“Let’s defeat this beast, here and now.”

Edelgard told Byleth, her voice now clear and bright.

“Of course.”

They attacked the beast.

Byleth ended up doing most of the work, their glowing sword doing much more damage than Edelgard’s dull hatchet.

She liked the feeling of working with someone else. It was nice to be with another person, after running alone for so long. 4 years...

“Are you injured?”

Byleth asked, taking her out of her thoughts. 

Edelgard shook her head. 

“Good.”

The two of them stood in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Byleth was staring at Edelgard with a blank expression. 

_ What are they doing? _

“What’s your name?”

They asked.

Edelgard hesitated for a second before replying.

“Oh, my name is Edelgard.”

Byleth’s brow furrowed.

They looked away from Edelgard and muttered something that she couldn’t quite hear. Byleth sighed.

“Well, could you come with me?”

Byleth asked.

_ Excuse me? We just met and you’re asking me to go somewhere with you? You’re an idiot if you think that I would come with you just because you helped me once. _

But Edelgard didn’t say any of that. 

“Come with you? Where, exactly?”

Edelgard replied, caution creeping into her voice.

“Garreg Mach Academy.”

_ Garreg Mach... I’ve never heard of that place before. _

“Well then, of course I’ll come with you. You saved me after all... is what I would say if I was an idiot. Tell me, do you truly believe that I’m  that naïve?”

Edelgard snapped.

“No one in their right mind would trust a stranger enough to come with them to some mysterious  academy .”

Despite Edelgard’s verbal abuse, Byleth’s expression stayed as blank as ever.

_ What is with this person? _

“That’s understandable. I’d be more worried if you had trusted me without a shred of doubt.”

Byleth replied, their voice having no emotion, just like their face. They didn’t seem sad or annoyed that Edelgard didn’t trust them.

“So, instead, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“You come with me to Garreg Mach. You will have a free room in the dorms and no expenses to pay. All that I ask is that you take your classes seriously and don’t drop out.”

“And what do I get out of that?”

“I’ll tell you everything I know about demonic beasts. Plus, if you need any help fighting a beast, I’ll be there.”

_ Demonic beasts... any information I can get is valuable, yet going to school for it is... _

“This isn’t a fair deal. I’ll have to decline.”

Byleth looked slightly frustrated.

“If you won’t come with me, I’ll have to turn you over to the police instead. You’ve been a missing person for... around 4 years now?”

“Oh, so this is just blackmail then. You should’ve made your intentions clear from the start.”

Byleth sighed.

“I don’t want to make an enemy of you. This... may be blackmail, but I won’t just let you go into danger. If you don’t come with me, those demonic beasts will just keep attacking, and they’re more powerful here than in other places. There’s more of them here too.”

“Where exactly is  here , anyways? You’re being awfully vague.”

The two of them glared at each other for a few seconds, but it felt like hours.

—

_ Goddess, she is being difficult. Stubborn as usual. It’s not like I can tell her “You’re the reincarnation of someone who started a war that ended with your own death and a continent that faded into mythology despite the fact that we’re standing on it right now. Oh and you’re making my immortal dragon friend stressed out of his mind.” _

_ Honestly, first Rhea goes missing, then I find out my students from 840 years ago are reincarnated. What the fuck. _

Byleth simply sighed their frustration, saying nothing to the glaring brown-haired girl in front of them.

_ We have everyone else under watch and I was finally able to find Edelgard. I can’t let her slip away. Especially when demonic beast encounters are becoming more frequent. _

“Should I repeat myself? Where are we, Byleth?”

Byleth internally cringed at being referred to by name.

“You’re just outside of Fargo. It’s a relatively small town with a bunch of local businesses. The main draw of it is Garreg Mach Academy. It’s a boarding school for mostly rich kids.”

Byleth explained.

“I’m one of the teachers there as well. I know that you can’t trust me, but I promise that if you come with me, I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”

Edelgard simply blinked at them in surprise.

For a moment, Byleth was back in an empty throne room. A girl in red was kneeling on the ground, too weak to stand up. Broken and bleeding. They didn’t want to see her like that. They didn’t want to watch her be killed again. They knew that there was a way to walk with her.

_ Everything has changed. This time, I will save all of them. _

—

_ “I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe?” Honestly, they sound so ridiculous. _

Edelgard sighed.

She looked up to the sky, which was getting darker and darker with the setting sun.

_ Yet... running for all this time... I’m tired of constantly running away. I haven’t even learned anything new behind that... incident. This seemed like a good idea 4 years ago, but now... _

Edelgard let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders. She looked straight into Byleth’s eyes.

“‘Everything I can to keep you safe?’ Heh, that’s a strange thing to say.”

“Is it?”

“Well, it’s not exactly something I’d expect to hear from a total stranger.”

Byleth didn’t reply, their face betraying nothing.

_ I really can’t read them at all... _

“Anyways, I suppose I don’t have any choice but to accept your offer. If the other option is going to the police, I’d prefer to go to a school instead.”

Byleth’s expression turned into something like a smile. It was so faint, that Edelgard wouldn’t have noticed it if she wasn’t looking so closely at them.

“Well, I’m glad.”

Byleth replied.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I still don’t trust you. I simply have no other options... for now.”

_ I have no idea what they are planning. If they’re bothering to help me, they must have some ulterior motive in mind. But for now... I’ll stay with them. _

_ It’s all that I can do now. I won’t run away any longer. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading this! I’ve planned out this story for a while, so I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.  
> There’s a lot of mysteries in this, but you’ll find out character backstories and reason as to why things are the way they are as we go along.


	2. Horsebow Moon: Flower-Scented Perfume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard gains a roommate, and braces herself for her first day of school in years.

Three people were talking quietly together behind a closed door. No one paid any notice to the closed room, too focused on other things to be concerned about what other people were talking about.

“Professor, are you certain that this is the right way to go about this?”

A tall man with dark green hair asked in worry.

“I’ve made my decision, Cichol. Isn’t it better to have them all in one place, under our watch, than have them be spread out and doing whatever they would like? We don’t want them to start a war again.”

Byleth replied with a blank face.

A short girl with bright green hair laughed softly.

“You say that, Professor, yet you’re truly only doing this to protect them, not the world, aren’t you?”

She said with a smile.

“Cethleann...”

Cichol sighed.

“Well, regardless of these reincarnations, we still need to search for Lady Rhea. I have been investigating these demonic beasts, yet I still have no idea how or why they keep appearing. It must have to do with crest stones or possibly the Heroes Relics, yet I haven’t found a trace of evidence.”

Cichol became increasingly more frustrated as he continued talking.

“Cichol, I understand your concern for Rhea, but there’s no point worrying about it now. Besides,”

Byleth opened the door of the room, the sounds of students rushing through hallways filling up the quiet space.

“I have a class to teach. You do as well, Flayn.”

“Right you are, Professor! Ah, I mean, Byleth. Byleth, my co-worker and fellow teacher! Not my own teacher, of course.”

Cethleann, now being referred to as Flayn, replied awkwardly with a smile.

“Goddess, Flayn. Try to be less... suspicious. At least this time your cover story actually gives you guys ages. No more suspiciously mysterious unknown ages.”

“Hey! That was... many, many, many years ago! Will you ever let that go? I’m not nearly as naïve as I was back then!”

“Byleth... I ask you to stop teasing Flayn.”

Cichol glared at them.

“Of course, Seteth. Well, I’m off to teach Fódlani Mythology to these kids. See ya.”

Byleth waved and left the room.

Cichol, now being referred to as Seteth, sighed.

“How can they still act so unbothered by all of this?”

“Well... it must have been a shock. To learn that their precious students were reincarnated. I was happy, of course, but with Byleth being their teacher... I know that they cared about all of them dearly. To see them now, after they all died during or after that terrible war...” 

Flayn replied solemnly, her cheerful demeanour from before gone.

“...I fear that all of this, the beasts, the reincarnations, Rhea’s disappearance... I fear that it is all connected in some way.”

Seteth’s brow furrowed.

“For now, brother, all we can do is continue our daily lives. Please do not look so worried, it hurts to see you like this.”

Flayn replied with a frown.

“I apologize... sister. I’ll do my best to not worry so much about this. Now, you have a class to teach, do you not?”

Flayn’s eyes widened.

“Agh, you’re completely right! I got distracted! I’ll see you at lunch!”

Flayn quickly left the room and went into the hallway.

-

Edelgard was standing in front of the mirror of her dorm room. She looked at herself, in her navy blue skirt, white dress shirt, and blue tie. It was... uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to looking so... proper. It brought back memories of her childhood she preferred to keep buried.

Her long, light brown hair was tied in a single ponytail to the side of her head. It was her usual hairstyle, simple and quick to do. 

_ This uniform really doesn’t suit me... Well, I have more important things to worry about than what I’m wearing. _

During the month and a half she had lived in the dorms of Garreg Mach Academy, she hadn’t been able to discover anything new about Byleth. She got their phone number, at least, but they always seemed to be off campus, busy with something else they wouldn’t tell her. She did some digging online as well, yet all she could find out was that they were a 26 year old teacher at Garreg Mach Academy. No family, no hometown, no previous record of jobs, nothing. Their history was a complete blank. That in itself was suspicious.

She was able to discover the names of a few of the faculty there, the most notable being Seteth and Flayn. Mr. and Ms. Kihol. Brother and sister, apparently, both working at the same school together. Yet just like Byleth, there was little information about them. That lack of information was weird. 

Flayn taught Choir, Seteth was a guidance counselor, and Byleth taught a class called “Fódlani Mythology.” 

_ Fódlani Mythology... heh, I was really into that when I was younger. Stories about a goddess, and a young girl trying to defeat her... only to ultimately fail in the end. _

“Ugh... Edie... what are you doing awake so early?”

Oh, right. She had a roommate now. 

-

“Hello! You’re Edelgard, right?”

A tall girl with wavy, dark brown hair walked up to Edelgard in the dorm hallways.

“Hm? Yes, I am.”

Edelgard replied, confused as to why this pretty- no, uh, this  _ loud _ girl was talking to her.

“Nice to meet you then, Edie! I’m Dorothea. I was surprised to see a new face here. We don’t get many transfer students at GMA.”

_ GMA...? And what’s with the nickname?  _

“By the way, I’m your new roommate. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

She winked at her, her tone of voice changing.

Edelgard kept her face completely blank and replied,

“A roommate? I wasn’t aware that I would have one.”

Dorothea frowned for a moment.

“No reaction, huh?”

“Hm? To what?”

Edelgard knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

She smiled again.

“Well, there’s actually too many 12th graders here this year, so we have to double up in the dorms. The younger kids get their dorms to themselves, though. That’s what I’ve heard, anyways.”

She explained.

“I see. Well, I have some work to do, so I’ll see you later.”

“Work to do? School hasn’t even started yet!”

“I still have work to do regardless.”

Dorothea didn’t believe her, but she let it go.

“Dorothea! Ugh, there you are!”

A short girl with long, bright pink hair walked up to the two with her hands on her hips.

“I’m tired of waiting, let’s go already~”

She complained, completely ignoring Edelgard.

“Just hold on a minute, Hilda.”

“Ugh, but I’ve already been waiting 10 minutes for you! Those guys are gonna leave without us at this point!”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. I’ll be with you in a sec.”

Dorothea waved at her dismissively.

“Well, Edie. You can go off and do whatever work you have now, but don’t be stranger, okay? We are going to be living together, after all.”

Dorothea waved at Edelgard.

“Huh? Edie? Oh! You must be the new girl here! Wow, I had no idea you would be this gorgeous!”

Hilda smiled, focusing her bright pink eyes on Edelgard, her complaints from earlier evaporating too quickly.

“Gorgeous? That’s a bit much.”

Edelgard replied, keeping her voice steady, though she could feel her cheeks burning up.

“Oh, but it’s totally true! Ooo, I bet if you wore some more make-up, maybe did up your hair a little... You would be the cutest!”

Hilda smiled.

She was too bubbly, too sweet, too loud... 

“Well... I don’t have much interest in those kinds of things.”

“‘You don’t have much interest?’ What’s that supposed to mean? Come on, everyone loves playing around with make-up once in a while~”

Hilda got closer and closer into Edelgard’s personal space.

Dorothea saw how uncomfortable Edelgard looked.

“Hilda~”

Dorothea gently grabbed Hilda’s arm and pulled her away.

“Didn’t you say those guys were waiting for us? We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.”

“Oh, fine. Well, Edie-“

“It’s Edelgard, actually.”

Silence.

“...Well,  _ Edelgard _ . I’ll see you around!”

Hilda waved, and so did Dorothea.

“See you tonight~”

Dorothea winked.

-

Since their first encounter, Edelgard and Dorothea hadn’t talked much, despite living in the same room together.

Dorothea was often out of the dorms, hanging out with friends. While Edelgard was often staying inside, only going out to get food...

Right, food. True to their word, Byleth had been “keeping them safe,” or rather, they had been giving her money for things like food, which was nice.

_ But where is this money even coming from...? How can they so readily help a total stranger? Though... I suppose I’m not a stranger to them, if they knew that I was wanted by the police. _

_ I’m certain I hadn’t met them before that day in July, but... perhaps they knew my parents? They could have been one of those business people at those fancy gatherings they forced me to go to...  _

“Edie... it’s 6am... why are you already awake?”

Edelgard put her thoughts away for now and turned towards Dorothea, who was still in bed, her hair a total mess, yet somehow still unbelievably pretty... 

_ Edelgard, stop. _

“Well, it’s better to be too early than too late.” 

She replied to her.

“Oh, really? Well, I’m going to sleep in some more. I don’t mind being late.”

Dorothea turned over in her bed, facing the wall.

Their dorm room was small. Two single person beds against opposite walls. A shared closet, mostly full of Dorothea’s clothes, and a bathroom, mostly full of Dorothea’s make-up and skincare supplies. 

Edelgard didn’t have much in personal belongings, other than her hatchet that she kept under her bed and her red hoodie. 

The hatchet wasn’t the only weapon she had hidden under her bed. There was also that dagger that she couldn’t bear to throw away, despite... what happened.

Dorothea had been the one to decorate the room. It wasn’t anything fancy, as Dorothea didn’t seem to have much either. 

Just a simple red rug, and photos of various people that Edelgard didn’t know hung on the walls of her side of the room.

Dorothea had photos of friends and make-up, while all Edelgard had was...

She hoped that Dorothea wouldn’t decide to look under her bed for whatever reason, because the weapons would be difficult to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t plan for Dorothea to be Edelgard’s roommate originally but here we are
> 
> Next chapter will reveal some things about Edelgard’s childhood! Also the first appearance of the other two~


	3. Horsebow Moon: An Inevitable Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard has an awkward encounter with some old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said last chapter that this one would have the first appearance of Claude & Dimitri, but that's actually next chapter. Sorry!

Here she was, in a classroom for the first time in ages.

The seats were already halfway full, some students chatting together, others doing their best to be as invisible as possible. Edelgard saw Dorothea chatting with a girl with long, braided blonde hair, as well as a tall guy with messy red hair. 

Well, they weren’t really chatting. The two ladies were yelling at the red-head, something about a joke he made, and he was just smiling through it all.

Braided blonde hair...

Messy red hair...

_ Oh no. _

_ Please no. _

_ This can’t be happening. _

_ There’s no way that they... _

_ Shit. _

_ Here I am, someone practically presumed dead after evading the authorities for so long, and my childhood friends just so happen to be in my new school. In my class.  _

She thought that there would be no one here that recognized her. Yet here were two people that would.

_ Calm down, Edelgard. _

Taking a breath, Edelgard walked down the rows of desks, avoiding the area where the three were talking, and sat herself in the only empty desk on that side of the class, next to someone who clearly spent way too much time styling their orange hair to be absolutely perfect. 

She could hear the ginger arguing with someone next to him, but she didn’t pay much attention to it.

“I can’t believe you right now!”

“All I am saying is that sleep is for the weak.”

Or at least, she tried to.

Their argument was so bizarre that she couldn’t help but listen.

“What?! You can’t use coffee as a replacement for sleep!”

“Hmph. It works well enough for me. Perhaps coffee is too bitter for your childish tastes.”

“Wha- _Childish?!_ Are you calling tea childish?”

“I never said anything about tea, though it is detestable. I’m simply saying that your overly positive-“

Edelgard tried her absolute best to tune out their argument.

_ God, could those two shut up?  _

Their ridiculous argument got louder and louder, attracting the attention of the other students. Which wouldn’t be a problem, if it weren’t for the fact that Edelgard was sitting next to them, and was also getting the attention of everyone.

Eyes stared into her.

It wouldn’t be long before _they_ would see her.

They would ask questions.

It was inevitable, though she tried to avoid it.

How could she explain?

They would call her crazy.

After all, no one believed her words.

They never did.

So she had to cut her own path for herself.

And seek the truth all on her own.

Even if she had to lie to get there.

“Oh, would the both of you shut up already?”

Edelgard brought her attention back to the classroom.

Another ginger Edelgard hadn’t noticed was sitting in the seat in front of her. She got up, out of her seat, and turned around towards the pair of idiots, clearly annoyed.

They both went silent, still glaring at each other.

“You should both show some more consideration to the people sitting next to you! I don’t want to spend the entire year hearing your dumbasses arguing about coffee and tea.”

The tall ginger glared at both of them, daring them to continue their antics.

“I have nothing else to say. There’s no cure for stupidity, after all.”

“Stupidity? I wouldn’t be that harsh.”

“What? If you think _stupid_ is harsh-“

“Oh my god, cut it out already!”

She cut in again.

Then, of course, she heard people from behind her start to argue as well. There wasn’t a single moment of silence in that room.

She forgot how chaotic classrooms could be.

“Sylvain, stop!”

“No Ingrid, this isn’t what you think it is!”

_ Fuck. Ingrid and Sylvain. Right. _

She had nearly forgotten their names, though she could never forget their faces.

“I’m serious... seriously.”

“And when was the last time I believed you? Are you seriously going to use that as an excuse to flirt with her?”

“I’m not going to flirt with her, honest!”

Ingrid sighed and looked at Sylvain.

“Oh... fine. You do actually seem serious for once.”

Their footsteps seemed to grow louder with each step. Her heart pounded more and more, though she kept her face as blank as possible, hiding her rising anxiety.

“Heya Edelgard. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

His smile was so obviously fake, and kept threatening to slip off.

Completely different from the person Edelgard knew as a child, who was always able to bring a smile to everyone’s faces with his antics.

“It is you, right?”

This situation was... awkward, to say the least.

“...Yes, it is. It has been a while.”

Edelgard replied.

“Holy _shit_ , really?”

Ingrid put a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.

“El, it’s been so long! I thought that you had...”

Ingrid left that last part unsaid.

The three of them knew.

“...I’m sorry, it’s just... a shock, to see you again after all these years.”

Edelgard knew that there was a question she had to ask them.

She didn’t want to know, but she had to know.

“Hey, is Dimitri-“

Of course, at that moment, the door to the classroom loudly creaked open, and the teacher walked in.

“Alright, hello everyone! Please take a seat!”

She told the class.

She was short, even compared to Edelgard. Her hair was bright green and styled into two braids that somehow covered her ears.

Her smile was warm and bright, and she wore glasses with big circular lenses. 

She looked quite young, but still older than her students.

“Ahem. Sylvain and Ingrid, please take a seat somewhere.”

She told the two, who were still standing around Edelgard’s desk.

“Ah, right. We’ll talk later, El.”

Ingrid waved and walked away, dragging Sylvain with her.

Edelgard looked around her, free from her two childhood friends.

_ They didn’t answer my question. Well... I suppose I’ll ask them later. _

“Hello class! Welcome to Homeroom 122! I’m your teacher, Ms. Kihol, and I also teach literature.”

_ Ms. Kihol? I thought she taught choir. I suppose the school website was outdated. _

“Well then~ Let’s start with attendance, of course.”

She smiled.

She was bubbly and cheerful like that pink-haired girl from before, but it just felt so much... warmer. Genuine.

She went through the names in the list, but her bright smile seemed to soften a bit when calling certain ones.

“Ferdinand?”

“Present.”

The person next to Edelgard responded, smiling almost as brightly as the teacher.

_ Oh, the arguing idiot. _

“Hubert?”

“Here.”

The person that was next to and argued with Ferdinand responded.

_ And the second idiot. _

He somehow seemed to be permanently glaring at everyone. It was just his neutral expression.

Ms. Kihol continued down the list.

“Dorothea?”

“Here.”

“Leonie?”

“Here.”

The girl in front of her responded.

The teacher kept calling more names that were meaningless to Edelgard.

“Edelgard?”

“Here.”

Ms. Kihol spent a beat too long lingering in silence after calling her name.

“Ignatz?”

“H-Here.”

“And finally... Raphael?”

“Here!”

“Well, now that that’s over with, let’s go over...”

Ms. Kihol’s voice faded into static.

_ Wait, what? _

Edelgard looked around the class. It was getting blurrier. Her ears filled with the sound of static from a TV. A bright light filled her vision. She flinched and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was walking down a dirt path in the woods.

The path in the forest where I met Byleth... Why am I here?

“ _This will be your first time at the Monastery. I’d be happy to show you around._ ”

Golden hair. A bright blue cape.

_ This is... Dimitri? _

The person next to him spoke next... or at least they were supposed to.

There wasn’t a person there at all, something where someone should’ve been, but it was all blank. 

How did she know that?

“ _Like or not, we’ll be there soon enough._ ”

Edelgard heard herself speak, the words coming out of her like a memorized script.

She... she didn’t even recognize what language she spoke in, but she could understand it. Dimitri was speaking the same.

_ What the hell is this? _

Next to her was... Byleth? Wow, they liked so different she shouldn’t have been able to recognize them.

Yet she did.

Memories... no, not memories... something... something resurfaced in her. She had no idea what it was.

She continued walking forward, down the path, never flinching, always looking ahead.

She felt the ground give away underneath her, yet she couldn’t move her limbs. She couldn’t utter a single word. She was...

Powerless. Forced to fulfill a role.

She fell into the darkness, not feeling a single thing.

“I will change your fate.”

She heard a voice before it all faded away.

She blinked and was back in the classroom, as if nothing had happened. Everything was the same, Ms. Kihol was telling the class about the ocean for some reason.

No one had noticed that her breaths became shallower.

_ Calm down. _

_ Calm down. _

_ That... whatever that was... it felt too real. _

It wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a hallucination. At least, she didn’t think so.

_ Why is that as soon as I arrived here... No. As soon as I met Byleth... strange things have been happening to me. Seeing a demonic beast of a grander scale than ever before, reuniting with those two, this strange vision... _

_ This... this can’t be a coincidence. _

_ It can’t be. _

So, with what cruel fate has given her already...

Though she may try to change it, it’s inevitable.

Dimitri is here at this school. She will have to confront him.

He already made his decision 4 years ago...

And he can never take it back.

Never.

-~-~-~-

A dark room illuminated by neon blue lights.

Figures together in the darkness.

“Those three are at Garreg Mach Academy, my Lady.”

“Heh, it’s all going according to plan. Those immortal fools fell right into our trap.”

“They gathered everyone we need for our experiments, without us even having to ask. How kind of them.”

“Well, let’s send some demonic beasts after them, shall we? Let them know that they aren’t safe here. Lure them out. Then, we can move on to the next step.”

“We must get our hands on the Enlightened One, no matter what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say today, but I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!


	4. Horsebow Moon: Tales of the Goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More first meetings and mistakes.

“Claude. A word, please.”

Well. First day of school and already in trouble with Kihol himself. He hadn’t even done anything yet, at least, not that he could remember.

“Sure thing. What’s going on?”

Claude replied with a smile.

“It’s about your club that you started last year. As you know, a club requires a minimum of 5 members in order for it to keep running, as well as a faculty supervisor.”

Kihol crossed his arms and faced Claude with an even sterner look than usual.

“Your Paranormal Investigation Club, however, has neither of those things.”

“It is clearly written in the school guidelines that a club must have those things, or it will be disbanded.”

_ Shit. Well, I forgot about that.  _

“I will give you some time. Please fulfill those club requirements by September 11. If you do so, your club will not be disbanded. That is all.”

With that final statement, Kihol walked away, leaving Claude no time to respond, likely to berate some other student about not following the rules.

_ I gotta find another member then, I suppose. Where do I even begin? _

It’s not like he could just let the club be disbanded. If he did that, he’d lose access to the school after hours. Sure, he could always try and avoid the teachers, but with all the supervisors at that school and his already known tendencies to sneak around, that wasn’t an option. Kihol would be on high alert for him, and if he got caught... well, going to detention and wasting time sitting in a desk wasn’t something he wanted to do.

This fancy prep school was full of secrets and rumours. There was the one about the underground library, the one about the place actually being a cult church converted to a school building, something about a secret basement where experiments occurred, you know. Claude thought those rumours were worth looking into. All rumours have some fraction of a truth to them, after all.

Every school for rich kids has those strange rumours to along with it, simply because the students there have nothing better to do with their time. 

Most of their futures are already set-in-stone. With no risks in their lives, they’re patiently gossiping and waiting for their inheritance to come in. A few of them still took the time to work hard, despite their practically guaranteed success, but those people were hard to come by.

But for Claude, of course, it was a whole different story.

Not one that he likes to talk about.

Just let it be known that he wasn’t looking into those rumours, or anything paranormal for the fun of it.

-

“Good morning class. I’m your teacher, Byleth Eisner, but just call me Professor. I’m here to kick ass and teach you kids about Fódlani Mythology.”

There were a few shocked, overdramatic gasps at their word choice, but despite that, most of the students looked at their new professor with interest. 

Their blank face and calculating turquoise eyes surveyed the classroom, stopping at a few faces for a heartbeat before continuing their evaluation.

They were quite strange, honestly. Even compared to some of the students at GMA.

The professor glanced at their desk and picked up a piece of paper that was on top of the whole mess it was in. They read it for about five seconds before speaking.

“Hm... Okay, in this class, we have Claude, Dimitri, Hilda, Lorenz, Felix, Bernadetta, Marianne, and Dedue. The rest of you I don’t care about.”

The professor openly told the class with the utmost seriousness in their voice and expression.

They carelessly put the piece of paper back on their mess of a desk, and looked back at the class with their cold, almost empty eyes, leaning on their desk.

No one knew what to do or how to react.

It was certainly a way to make an impression, but whether it was a good one or not...

At seeing the students’ disbelief, the professor cracked a small smile. Their eyes suddenly flooded with warmth, though it was faint.

“Not even a laugh or smile from you guys, huh? Well, regardless,”

The professor turned around, stepped towards the whiteboard, and started to write.

“If you decided to take this class, I’m assuming it was because you couldn’t get into the class you wanted, or maybe you really like Fódlani mythology for some reason. I’m assuming it’s the former for most of you.”

They finished up their writing and turned towards the class.

“Whether you like it or not, I expect you all to at least pretend that you’re paying to attention to what I’m saying. I won’t tolerate any slackers in this class.”

“So, with that out of the way, let’s start at the beginning.”

“Literally. The goddess that created Fódlan’s name is Sothis, who is also known as ‘The Beginning.’”

On the whiteboard, there was a single phrase written.

The Goddess and the Nabateans.

-

“To sum it all up, Sothis created Fódlan and the people there. One of her daughters was a Nabatean named Rhea, who is an important figure in Fódlan.”

Byleth summarized their introduction lecture.

While they mostly kept their focus on teaching, they couldn’t help but wonder about those two.

Sitting side by side, yet not really talking to each other.

_ Dimitri and Claude, huh... I wonder how things played out for them in this era. I already know a bit about Edelgard, but she’s still a mystery too.  _

Byleth looked up at the clock on the wall, just above the doorway.

“Well, class is almost over, and I have nothing else to say. No homework because I’m not that cruel. Oh, and...”

_ Is this risky? Yep. I am going to do it anyways? Hell yeah. _

“Dimitri and Claude, stay after class. I have something to tell you both.”

And with that final statement, the bell rang, as if on cue.

_ If this ends up being a mistake... well, it’s not like I can turn back the clock anymore. _

Dimitri looked both confused and curious, while Claude _looked_ unfazed with a smile, as he almost always did.

_ Some things never change, I guess. _

Some students rushed out of the classroom, desperate to leave. Others moved more slowly, taking the time to exchange words with friends from the previous school years. But soon enough, it was only Dimitri, Claude, and Byleth in the room.

The two of them walked up to Byleth, who was now sitting in their desk, looking through the drawers.

“So... what’s this all about?” 

Claude asked them.

“Hold on a minute.”

Byleth replied, not even bothering to look at them as they kept searching for something in their desk.

_ Maybe Cichol’s right. I should organize my desk... oh, there they are. _

Byleth opened a drawer and found many boxes of... well, tea. Many different types, ranging from sweet to bitter, fruity to floral.

_ Hm... Chamomile... ah, here it is. _

Byleth picked up two boxes of chamomile tea, which had light blue packaging and were roughly the size of their palm, filled with multiple tea bags. The boxes had an expiration date of...

_ Well, tea doesn’t go bad, right? _

They closed their drawer of teas and placed the two boxes on their disorganized desk, the impact sending a lot papers flying off, onto the ground.

“Whoops.”

Byleth crouched down to pick up the fallen papers, but Dimitri was faster.

_ This kid is still as kind as ever, huh. _

With only a heartbeat of hesitation, Dimitri helped to pick up the papers that had fallen to the ground.

Claude followed afterwards, and the three of them picked up the various documents and notes together, not exchanging any words. There was just the sound of papers rustling, a clock ticking, and the air conditioning running. 

“So, Professor... actually, can I just call you Teach instead?”

“Fine by me. Call me whatever, just not Byleth.”

“Cool. So, Teach, why did you ask us to stay after class again? I’m guessing this picking up papers thing wasn’t planned.”

“Tea.”

“Tea?”

Dimitri and Claude echoed at the same time.

They looked at each other for a beat before quickly looking back at the papers on the ground.

“Yep, tea.”

Byleth replied, not caring to elaborate.

They continued picking up papers in silence. 

“Well then.”

Claude stood up, and plopped the papers he picked up back on Byleth’s desk.

But not carefully enough.

For a second time, papers fell.

...

“Claude-“

“I know.”

_ Oh my goddess, these kids are disasters. _

“I shouldn’t keep you here any longer. I’ll pick up the papers, you two take one box of tea each. They’re heavy, so be careful.” 

Byleth stood up, and carefully placed the papers they picked up back on the desk.

“Are you sure? It’s really no problem at all.”

Dimitri did the same.

“I’ll be fine. Just take the teas and get to your next classes... oh, I guess it’s lunch break though.”

Byleth remarked.

They picked up the two boxes of tea, one in each hand, and held them out to the pair.

“Use them wisely.”

They told them with the utmost seriousness in their voice and expression.

With some apprehension and confusion still clear on his face, Dimitri took a box of tea.

“Um... thank you, Professor.” 

Claude also hesitated, but took the tea box.

“Thanks for the tea, Teach.”

Dimitri took another look at the mess that the floor was in from all the fallen documents.

“Are you sure that you don’t need any help cleaning this up?”

“Go to lunch, Dimitri.”

Byleth replied immediately.

Dimitri still hesitated.

“Hey, you heard them. We’re free to go.”

Claude interjected.

“It’s my lunch break too, you know. Both of you can go now. As I said before, use the tea wisely.”

With that, Byleth waved at them and sat back down at their desk.

_ These kids haven’t changed a bit... at least, not on the surface. Still the same disasters they’ve always been. _

Byleth smiled softly.

-

This moment of peace wouldn’t last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really difficult for me to stay motivated while writing, so one chapter is usually a week long of small bursts of energy and inspiration lol. People who can have like 10,000 words per chapter... how.
> 
> Anyways, I should mention that a lot of the characters' ages are changed so that they're actually high school age. All the characters who were 18+ in the original game are now 17 (aka seniors/12th graders) Characters that were 17 or younger are still their original ages, like Lysithea who is 15, and in a different grade and classes than the others.
> 
> Also I do read everyone's comments, I just have difficulty thinking of replies. All of your kind words are greatly appreciated! :)


	5. Horsebow Moon: The Golden Deer's... Plea?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Claude leave Byleth's classroom, tea in hand, and Flayn spots them.

_ Well... that was... interesting. _

Claude and Dimitri had just walked outside of the classroom, and the hallway was mostly empty. Most people were off-campus for lunch, after all. The door to Teach’s classroom was closed now, but there was still a window in the door that you could use to look through. 

Claude looked at his box of tea more closely for details.

_ It was chamomile, made by... huh, there’s no company name on it.  _

“So... your name is Claude, right?”

Dimitri asked out of nowhere.

“Hm? Yep, that’s me, the one and only.”

Claude replied as he opened up the box.

“Holy shit, that’s a lot of tea. Where did Teach even get this from?”

And it’s all chamomile too...

“I suppose we won’t be running out of tea anytime soon?”

“It’s a weird gift to get from a teacher though...”

_ Plus, a teacher that we’ve only met once. _

The clicking of flat shoes echoed in the hallway, and both Claude and Dimitri turned to see a short girl with bright green braids walking towards them.

“Ah, Dimitri and Claude? Shouldn’t you two be in the cafeteria?”

She asked them cheerfully.

Standing right in front of them, she was barely taller than Hilda, and she had to look slightly up to make eye contact with the two of them.

Right, he agreed to eat lunch... well, Hilda practically guilt-tripped him into eating lunch with her because he “ditched” her the other day.

That’s not how he remembered it but, well, it’s not like he had anything else planned for lunch.

“Oh, right. We have not met, have we? I don’t believe either of you have my class. I am Ms. Kihol, Seteth- er, Mr. Kihol’s little sister.”

She smiled, and did a quick bow, seeming very happy to see them.

It’s a weird gesture to make, and she seemed to realize that a split second after doing so.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Kihol.”

Dimitri replied politely.

“Same here.”

Claude added.

Ms. Kihol seemed to remember something right as Claude spoke.

“Oh, right! Claude, I have heard your predicament from Mr. Kihol.”

Dimitri glanced at Claude with curiosity.

“Yep, I’m working on that, don’t worry about it.”

He had been thinking about how to recruit more members to the club during class, but a Paranormal Investigation Club isn’t something many people are interested in to begin with. One of the club members doesn’t even believe in anything paranormal, is hell-bent on proving him that he’s wrong, and that “there’s no way that gh-ghosts exist!” There's also the one that just uses the club as a place to sleep, and then there's the one who actually loves telling ghost stories and searching for them too.

“If you don’t mind telling me, what exactly is this predicament?”

Dimitri asked Claude with all the caution in the world.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious, Dimitri. I’m the club president of the Paranormal Investigation Club here, but Kihol is on my case about not having enough members or a club supervisor. So, I need to get more members or it’ll be disbanded. I’ll get it all figured out by the end of this week.”

Dimitri thought about it for a few seconds before replying.

“Well, I suppose I could join then, if you don’t mind.”

_ Wait, he can’t be serious.  _

Claude looked at Dimitri for any hint that he was joking, but he seemed entirely sure of himself.

“Huh. Well, I’d be happy to have you join. Are you sure though? I know we only just met, but I didn’t take you for the type of person interested in the supernatural.”

Claude asked him.

“Well...”

He hesitated for a moment.

“You’re right, I don’t have much interest in the supernatural, however...”

He hesitated again, fidgeting with his hands.

_ Huh. Wonder why he’s so uncomfortable answering that. I shouldn’t push it. _

Claude put on his most charming smile and replied to him with,

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me the reason for it. I’m just happy to have another club member around. But, let me guess. You decided to join because of my charming charisma and good looks. I’m flattered, really.”

He joked.

Dimitri then... oh, he’s definitely blushing. 

He laughed softly, thought it seemed a tiny bit strained.

“Sure, that was definitely the reason.”

Dimitri smiled at him... for the first time, actually.

_ Ah. That wasn’t supposed to make him... hold on, he’s cute. Wait no no no, Claude, focus. _

“Ahem.”

_ Right, she’s still here- _

“Well, I’m glad that everything is settled now. Alas, I would love to help with being a club supervisor, but I’m far too busy as it is with the cooking club. Perhaps there is another teacher... a professor, that is willing to help.”

Ms. Kihol sighed over-dramatically.

She smiled quickly afterwards.

“Now, you two should get off to lunch, correct? That tea you have looks delectable. I shall be going now!”

She almost did the same old-fashioned bow but caught herself just in time, giving the two a wave instead before walking down the hallway.

And the two of them were standing there, still holding their boxes of tea.

“Well, clubs don’t start up until next week, so come by the club room next Monday after school. Can’t wait to see you there.”

Claude waved at Dimitri.

“Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Dimitri waved back at him and... smiled- _wow, he has a pretty smile-_ before walking away down the hallway, the opposite way Ms. Kihol went.

“Huh. Who knew that getting tea from some weird teacher would lead to this.”

He looked back at the box of tea and saw...

_...Why does Teach have tea that was made in 1999??  _

Well, that’s something he can ask them about tomorrow.

Yet... it was really weird. He felt happy, really, ~~maybe because of Dimitri~~ , but...

He had this odd sense of unease. 

Regret, maybe? Fear?

Well, he can’t dwell on it for too long.

Hilda and the others are probably still waiting for him, anyways.

-

Ms. Kihol giggled once she was back in her classroom, and smiled with a far too mischievous look on her face.

“All according to keikaku, as the kids say!”

-

The air was cold. The ground metallic, freezing.

A faceless girl was unconscious, hair turned snow white. Not breathing anymore.

The battlefield was empty, the enemies were all gone.

But he couldn’t save them in time.

Not the one he had passed by in the hallways bleeding out in his arms.

Not the petite girl who disappeared, and was noticed too late.

Not the one who he had already abandoned once, long ago.

They all died on this battlefield. Killed by demonic beasts and the demons that controlled them.

He could have saved them.

Could he?

He could have.

It was always his fault, always.

If not for him...

A blinding light filled the room.

“The future can always be changed.”

The static faded out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I've been worrying about it for too long and decided to just publish it and get on to writing the next chapters.   
> In case you're wondering, yes, Flayn did grow a bit between 1180 and when this story takes place, but not a lot. She's 155cm now, which is taller than Hilda, but still short.  
> And while she may have grown, her cooking skills are still... well, a disaster. She's the supervisor of the cooking club regardless.
> 
> Btw, I do have a Tumblr account! It's @dokimekii, the same as this account. There's some info about this fic that's really specific and doesn't affect the plot a lot, like who is who's roommate, which clubs everyone is in, etc. So if you're interested in that, I'll be posting that info on my Tumblr shortly after I publish this with the tag #kanako writes.
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying this so far! We're still in the "chapter 1 phase", but things should be moving faster starting next chapter or the one afterwards. <3


	6. Horsebow Moon: Edie gets some Sunlight, for Once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorothea attempts to convince Edie of something, and Marianne and Hilda are being wholesome together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to note beforehand that Hilda/Marianne is now a pairing in this. It’s more of a background pairing but it’s prominent in this chapter. While everyone else is pining, these two are actually together. What a surprise.

Horsebow Moon: Edie gets some Sunlight, for once

Now, I’m sure of it. No matter the cost, no matter what challenges I may face...

Even if it costs my life, I shall fulfill this goal no matter what.

I will never falter, and, as of today, I declare...

Okay, okay. I’ll stop being dramatic.

In truth, Edie has been avoiding my every attempt of friendship with her. She quickly leaves the classroom before I get a chance to speak with her, and whenever I get back to the dormitories after hanging out with Hilda, she decides that she has to go leave to do “work.” 

So, now it’s the weekend, and I’ll be sure to convince her! Just a quick trip to a café, that’s all. 

We are roommates after all, so I’d like for us to at least get along.

“Dorothea~ Are you thinking about Edelgard again?” Hilda brought her back to reality and took a long sip of her bright pink, strawberry bubble tea.

“Maybe. You know, I was planning on inviting her out to a café tomorrow morning.” Dorothea replied and took a sip of her own bubble tea, mango flavoured.

“Oh, is it a date?”

“Definitely not, Hilda. She’s barely even let me talk to her.”

The two of them had gone to the mall and were now sitting in the food court, drinking bubble tea together. Hilda already had 3 bags from 3 different shops, while Dorothea hadn’t bought anything yet. Not that she could afford to. Getting into the school for another year, even with her performing arts scholarship, took a lot out of her pocket. Plus, there was something else she was saving up for. She was honestly glad that Hilda offered to buy the bubble tea for her completely unprompted.

“Really? Well, I’m sure you two would really get along well, if she stopped being so frosty, that is.” Hilda remarked.

Dorothea was definitely surprised at that, and it must have shown on her face, because Hilda then added, “I dunno, it’s just a feeling I have. You two seem... like opposites, but opposites attract, right?” And took another sip of her tea.

“And why  are you surprised at that anyways? You’re going way out of your way to talk with someone who’s basically avoiding you and everyone else, so you obviously want to get along with her, right? I’m sure you two will be friends right away, but she’s gotta put some effort in as well.”

Dorothea sometimes forgot how perceptive Hilda was, behind her bubbly cheerfulness.

She simply sipped her tea in response, and Hilda did the same.

Hilda finished the rest of her tea in one big sip, picked up one of her shopping bags, and put it on Dorothea’s side of the table.

“This is for you. Thanks for coming out with me today! But I gotta go now, you know, I have so much work to  not do.” Hilda picked up her remaining two bags and empty cup, then waved at Dorothea and walked away, pace quickening with every step.

“See you later!” Dorothea called after her.

She looked at the bag Hilda had given her.

Hm, it’s rare for Hilda to give gifts. I should get her one back later. I wonder why she’s in such a hurry to leave too.

Dorothea took a peek into the bag and laughed.

“Seriously, Hilda? You’re really pushing it, aren’t you?”

-

Edelgard opened her eyes to bright light shining down on her bed from the sunrise through the window. She had already been somewhat awake, but this light that suddenly filled her vision actually made her want to get out of bed. Days of waking up way too early had really done a toll on her.

“Hm? Oh, good morning Edie~”

Dorothea was already dressed, hair styled and make-up done to perfection. She was smiling softly at Edelgard.

“Dorothea...? Since when have you woken up this early?”

“Well, it’s fun to change your routine every once in a while, isn’t it?”

At Edelgard’s unfazed (and still half-asleep) expression, Dorothea added, “I was wondering if you would like to get breakfast with me this morning? My treat.”

Edelgard didn’t respond.

“Oh, and don’t tell me you’re busy, again. Let’s go eat breakfast together, just once. And, if for some reason you still think that socializing with others is a waste of time afterwards, then we can pretend it never happened, and you can continue running away from me.”

Oh.  _ Oh _ , Edelgard was not going to let that last comment run past her.

She got up out of her bed and faced Dorothea, who she had to turn her head up to look directly in her eyes.

“Heh, running away from you? That’s an exaggeration.”

She retorted.

“Oh really? You know, you always disappear right after class ends. And by the time I get back to the dorms, you’re either asleep or gone. And when I wake up, you’re almost always gone already and if not, you quickly leave. Edie, it seems like you’re running away from my attempts to be friends with you.”

Dorothea‘s cheerful smile changed to annoyance as each word came out of her mouth.

“ Attempts?  This only the second time you’ve tried.”

Honestly, Edelgard couldn’t believe this.

“Oh, true, true. But at least I’m making an effort.”

“Why are you so focused on being friends with me in the first place?”

At that pointed question, Dorothea fell silent for a moment, taking the time to think carefully about her words.

“Hm. I can’t really explain it myself, but... well, I always want to give everyone a chance. Oh, unless they’re obviously some stuck-up jerk. But you’re not like that, I can tell. I simply want to get to know you better, that’s all. And of course, being roommates for the entire year will be more difficult if neither of us like each other.”

Dorothea took another pause to think, and then laughed softly.

“Oh, maybe it’s fate that we met like this, you know.”

Edelgard scoffed at her.

“Really? It was  _ fate _ that we met?”

“Oh, come on, Edie. Don’t be such a killjoy. It was a  _ joke _ . Well, mostly.”

Edelgard sighed and rolled her eyes, looking away from Dorothea and out the window.

“Do you still want to go get breakfast with me? Once again, I’m offering it for free.”

Dorothea’s tone was now more passive, not accusing or teasing. She seemed ready to accept that Edelgard would not budge on her adamant refusal to get along with her. But then, Edelgard seemed to be full of surprises. It was difficult to get a full picture of her.

“I... made a promise to myself. That I wouldn’t run away anymore. That I would face everything life threw at me head on. Even when it comes to small things like this.”

Edelgard told her, with a weight and intensity that really didn’t fit the situation of something as simple as eating breakfast with her roommate.

_ I don’t know why I’m sharing this with her. We just met a few weeks ago, yet... I feel like I can trust her. Somehow. It’s the same... no, a similar feeling as when I met Byleth, but the opposite. With Byleth, there was hesitation, and a feeling of regret. With Dorothea... it’s all much warmer. I still don’t understand, as much as I’d like to. _

_ Perhaps... I’ve met her before...? That doesn’t make any sense though. How would I- _

“Wow, Edie. That’s... intense. Not that I mind though. I’ll admit, I know I can be pretty dramatic at times too. I got a bit carried away with all this, just for breakfast.”

Dorothea admitted.

Plus... for Edelgard, there was another reason. Something much more childish, in her opinion.

As much as she tried to convince herself, tell herself that she didn’t care, that eating breakfast from the school cafeteria every morning was decent, and worked well enough... she... she really couldn’t convince herself. It tasted... quite awful, truly, but she had to eat. So... she gave in to Dorothea’s request.

“I’ll come with you. Give me a moment to get ready.” 

Dorothea’s face lit up at that, smiling brighter. Completely full of warmth for her, for Edelgard- 

_ Why? Have we met before? _

“Of course. Take your time.” She replied.

_ This school is just full of surprises. And it all links back to that encounter with Byleth. _

-

“Um, H-Hilda? Did you forget your key...?”

Marianne asked her girlfriend, filled with worry. The weather was fairly cold, and she noticed Hilda was waiting outside, right next to the door to the dorms, scrolling through her phone.

“Oh, Marianne!”

Hilda immediately shoved her phone in her pastel pink purse and smiled brightly just at seeing Marianne.

“Good morning! Hey, do you want to go get breakfast with me? There’s a café nearby that I’ve been wanting to try.”

Hilda asked her excitedly, though she seemed a bit startled.

“Ah, w-were you waiting for me? I’m sorry... I was o-on a walk and didn’t have my phone with me...”

Marianne averted her eyes away from Hilda, her expression gloomy.

“Oh my god, no no no! That wasn’t it at all, Marianne.”

Hilda quickly took Marianne’s hands and held them gently. Marianne looked at her again, cautious.

“It was a whole coincidence, really. But I’m glad that you’re here. I was going to go alone, but it would be even better if you could come with me. Only if you want to, of course.”

Hilda added that last part, making sure to not make it seem like she was forcing Marianne to come with her.

Marianne smiled one of those soft smiles she reserved only for Hilda, and Hilda nearly combusted from how cute she looked.

“Of course, that s-sounds great, Hilda.”

-

And now, she waited. Waited to see if Dorothea actually succeeded in her plan with Edelgard. She had carefully convinced Dorothea to tell her the name of the café over text message, so here she was, waiting to see if they would come. But, well, now that Marianne was here, that all seemed much less important. 

“Hm~ Oooh, Marianne! These brownies look absolutely delish! Oh, but they aren’t much of a breakfast.”

Hilda exclaimed, looking at the various pastries lined up in the café’s display case.

“Well, we could buy them and s-save them for later, maybe?”

“Sure! Let’s do that. Oh, and for drinks... I’ll get a caramel frappe, and what do you want?”

“Um... j-just a regular coffee.”

The two of them ordered, got their food, and sat down in a spot in the corner of the café. Luckily, there were quite a few people there, so hopefully they would help to conceal both herself and Marianne from Dorothea. She just wanted to see them together, and then leave them be without any interference, that’s all.

“So... oh! I never asked you who were roommates with!”

Hilda started up a conversation with Marianne, sitting right across from her at the table.

“Oh, I think her name is... Bernie? We don’t really talk that much. She seems... scared of me. It makes sense...”

“What? I’m sure that’s not true! Anyone can see that you’re so kind with everyone around you. You’re so gentle with animals too! And of course, you’re beautiful!”

Oh god, she was rambling. And Marianne was blushing. A lot.

“Wh-What I mean is...”

For once, Hilda couldn’t find the right words to say. She was blushing from her own embarrassment as well. That just all came out without her even thinking about it.

“You shouldn’t be so down on yourself, okay? This Bernie is... probably just shy, or something. I’m sure she isn’t scared of you at all!”

“R-Really?”

Marianne stammered.

“Definitely. You can trust me with that, promise.”

And then, it happened. The bell that rang when someone entered the café jingled through the air. Dorothea and Edelgard walked in, side by side.

Hilda suppressed a giggle, making sure to not draw any attention to herself. Dorothea had done it!

But of course, Marianne noticed her slight change in emotion.

“Wh-What happened?”

She asked her, quietly as ever.

“Oh, Marianne! Look over there~”

Hilda guided Marianne’s eyesight over to where Edelgard and Dorothea were.

“Hm? Oh, D-Dorothea... and someone else?”

“That’s Edelgard. I’m guessing the two came here to get breakfast together.”

Okay, she wasn’t actually guessing.

“Oh, I see... that’s... nice.”

Marianne smiled.

And there it was again. That damned cute smile. Forgetting all about spying on Edelgard and Dorothea, Hilda smiled back at her.

“We should probably get going now. Hey, you said you were on a walk earlier, right? Should we continue that together?”

Hilda asked.

Once again, Marianne’s face lit up. So different from her usual timid expression.

“I would l-love that, Hilda. There’s actually a specific trail I’d like to go on...”

-

The battlefield roared around them. The archbishop truly shouldn’t have snuck out of the monastery on their own, but they decided to anyways. Careless. They had been ambushed by a gang of bandits, which was something they were used to. 

But being the archbishop had dulled their battle skills. It left them with not enough time for training, and they weren’t called into battle often, or ever at all.

They were doing well, but they were alone and outnumbered. Their battle skills could only carry them for so long. There was no help, no hope in sight. So, they kept fighting.

A slight miscalculation, and pain scorched through them. An axe struck their back head-on, and they collapsed.

Just like... all those years ago. When they had protected the late empress... no, Edelgard.

_ Oh... I shouldn’t have gone out tonight. I’ll just go back, then. Before this all started. _

Their vision went blurry and started to turn dark. They waited, counting their breaths, waiting, wanting for their divine pulse to trigger. It always did, when they were in dire need.

But the goddess never answered their call.

“As of the 20th of the Great Tree Moon, year 1195, we are deeply sorrowful to announce... that Archbishop Byleth Eisner has fallen in battle.”

Byleth woke up with a start, breathing heavily and panicked. Their heartbeat would probably be erratic too, if it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t have one to begin with. Their usual calm demeanour was completely gone, the emotions clear on their face for once.

“That again...”

Reliving their literal  _ death _ through their nightmares was never fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my writing app, the preview for the document doesn’t how the full title, and it’s just “Horsebow Moon: Edie gets some”  
> Yeah, that doesn’t happen here.
> 
> That aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Horsebow Moon: Blood-Red Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fated encounter finally occurs.

Well, now was the moment of truth.

Claude was completely relying on Dimitri actually showing up to the club room today, and officially registering as a club member, all to get Seteth off his back.

He walked over to the club room, in a special wing of the school. This part of the school was reserved specifically for club rooms, and space was limited. So clubs that are inactive or too small are snuffed out by the faculty, and a different one quickly takes its place.

Claude opened the door and was met with a surprising sight.

“Oh Claude! I was so worried that I would be the only one here. Though, I suppose it would be a bit silly for the club leader not to be here.”

Mercedes was already in the club room, sitting at the large “table” in the middle of the room. It was really just a bunch of school desks pushed together. She had a book in her hands, but set it down once she saw Claude.

“Heya Mercedes. I didn’t think you’d be here yet.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? This is our club room, isn’t it? I’ve been excited to get back to searching for ghosts as a group again.”

She smiled at him, excited about the prospect of ghosts, yet her demeanour was still as calm as ever.

“Oh, and I’m not the only one here, you know. Linhardt arrived here just a few minutes after me. Though he seems to be sleeping now.”

Mercedes giggled.

Claude looked around and sure enough, Linhardt was there, asleep, in the part of the club room with a small bookshelf and bean bag chairs.

Huh. He really didn’t expect the other members to come back... even though he was relying on that in order to keep the club alive.

The surprise must have shown on his face (whoops), because Mercedes giggled again and said,

“I’m really happy the club is still running. I’ve heard about Mr. Kihol trying to shut down all the smaller clubs, so I was worried this one would be closed too. Who else would I be able to talk about ghost stories with?”

She smiled softly again, and glanced at the book she had set down on the desk.

“Oh! Speaking of!”

She picked up the book and skimmed through it. There were various pastel-coloured bookmarks in it, with labels neatly written on each one. The cover was dark blue with silver accents, and it was titled “Tales of Fòdlan’s Spirits.”

“Look at this, I borrowed a new book of ghost stories from the school library. They didn’t have this one last year.”

She explained to Claude, while still skimming through the book.

“I suppose they’re based off of mythology, but spun into ghost tales? I’m not quite sure, but they’re fun to read.”

She continued flipping through the pages then stopped at one.

“Hm... Ah! Here it is! One of my favourites is this one. The spirit of the green-haired girl.”

Mercedes showed Claude the page, which had an illustration of a child with long, fluffy green hair, and a dark blue dress with pink ribbons. She was sitting on a throne, with a tired expression on her face. In front of the throne was a silhouette of a person with their head in their hands, seemingly in distress.

“She gives you the great power to alter time, yet at a cost. You may be able to alter the future, present, and past, yet you will never get a happy outcome. She will curse you for the rest of your living days... and you will live in sorrow, doomed to forever repeat the cycle of time.”

Mercedes frowned as she continued reading.

“This one’s more of a tragic story, really. It’s not scary at all... yet the hopelessness of it makes it more terrifying in my opinion.”

“Being able to alter time, but never get a happy ending, huh... doesn’t seem worth it to me.”

Claude replied.

“True. What’s the point of it in the first place, if you can’t change your life to be happier?”

Mercedes turned the pages again, then stopped once more, her face lighting up.

“See, listen to this! This one’s much scarier.”

She then deepened her voice and started talking in a typical ominous story-telling tone, a shadow crossing her face.

“It is said that when the nights are cold in the dead of winter, and you’re all alone, with only the full moon lighting up the sky, the one-eyed demon will hunt you down, and take revenge for all that you’ve-“

“Mercedes, what nonsense are you talking about now?”

Her story was cut short by someone walking into the club room.

Claude looked over his shoulder and saw-

“Hehe, it’s not nonsense, Lysithea. Just a bit of fun.”

Lysithea, a tiny (don’t call her that to her face, unless you want to listen to ten minutes of yelling) redhead 10th grade student. Also a member of the club from last year, who returned despite thinking ghosts didn’t exist. He really didn’t understand that.

“I see you’re still running this silly club.”

She quipped at Claude.

“Nice to see you too, Lysithea. If you really think it’s that silly, I wonder why you returned.”

He smiled back at her.

“Well, I...”

She was blushing a bit, probably from both anger and embarrassment. 

“I have no need to explain myself to you, you know. Just because I’m younger doesn’t 

mean-“

“Oh boy, here we go again.”

Really, how did she manage to connect everything back to her age? She’s smart as hell, but her attitude makes her difficult to talk with normally. Though for some reason, she’s being more sassy than usual today. He noticed that much, but had no way to learn why. They weren’t particularly close, despite being in the same club.

He then heard a yawn and an annoyed sigh from the other side of the room.

“Can’t I sleep in peace? You’re all being too loud.”

Linhardt complained, still sounding half-asleep.

“A club isn’t for sleeping in, Linhardt. You ought to take this more seriously.”

Lysithea replied, the annoyance clear in her voice and expression.

“Oh? What happened to thinking this club was ridiculous?”

Claude asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“I’m not talking to you.”

She quickly snapped back.

“Ah... excuse me, is this the paranormal investigation club?”

Of course, Dimitri walked in just at that moment, in the middle of their bickering.

There was silence for a solid 3 seconds, and Dimitri was looking more and more confused.

Mercedes was the first to speak, a smile lighting up her face.

“Oh, are you a new member? I’m Mercedes, nice to meet you. I think we’re in the same homeroom too.”

She introduced herself, calm and collected as always.

Lysithea took a breath from her annoyance, but didn’t bother to plaster a smile on her face.

“I’m Lysithea. Don’t expect me to go ghost-hunting with you.”

Lysithea introduced herself, much more curt and snappy.

“Linhardt.”

Linhardt introduced from across the room, not bothering to use politeness or effort.

“And, you already know me. Claude, the leader of this happy little club. It can be a bit chaotic but, welcome aboard.”

He was going to add on a smile at Dimitri, but then realized that he already was.

-

A bell rang out through the school’s announcement speakers.

“It is now 4:45pm. All students must go home for the day. The doors will be locked at 5pm, so please exit the building before then. Thank you.”

Claude looked up at the clock on the wall, and sure enough, it was 4:45. 

_ Guess I lost track of time again. _

“Oh my, is it already that late? We should all get back to the dorms.”

Mercedes remarked.

Lysithea had already grabbed her stuff and was walking out the door.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

She said as she left, still aggressive.

“What’s up with her? Actually, never mind, I don’t really care.”

Linhardt, who had been sleeping for basically the entire club meeting, finally got up and went out through the door, not saying a proper goodbye.

“I’ll head out too. It’s nice to meet you Dimitri, and I hope you’ll enjoy your time here in the club.”

She smiled, polite as always.

“Oh, and I won’t be here tomorrow, there’s a meeting for the cooking club and I can’t miss it. I’ll see you two later.”

She waved and left the room, leaving just Dimitri and Claude together.

The sun was already beginning to set, orange light shining through the room’s windows.

Claude glanced over at Dimitri, who was putting a book of ghost tales that Mercedes had shown him away on the shelf.

With the golden light illuminating his face, he looked... really pretty, huh.

_ Claude. C’mon. Seriously. _

“Well, see ya tomorrow Dimitri.”

He waved at him.

“Oh, see you tomorrow, Claude. Your club is quite fun, you know.”

“Ha, we’ll see how you feel when you have to sit through our bickering for a few more days.”

And with that, he left.

-

The sky had turned a bright crimson by the time Dimitri was out of the club room. It was nearly 5pm and the school would be locked soon, so he really had to rush out of there. He doubted anyone else would still be there... well, maybe except for Claude. He still didn’t know him too well, but he had begun to become fond of him, despite...

Despite...

He stopped. It felt as though time had frozen.

Crossing by him in the sun-lit hallway was someone who shouldn’t... 

How.

How was...

“El?”

She stopped in her tracks, her bright purple eyes widening. Shock. Anxiety. She turned her head and stared at him. Then it turned into a glare.

“Is it really you?”

He asked, suddenly doubting himself. This could just be another nightmare, after all.

She sighed.

“Yes. It is... El. It’s... been a long time.”

Edelgard was alive all this time. She had disappeared _that_... night. And here she was, back from the shadows she disappeared into all those years ago.

“How did you-“

“We have _nothing_ more to talk about. Leave me alone.”

Edelgard cut him off and walked away, moving straight ahead, her hands balled into fists and her shoulders tense.

Dimitri couldn’t summon the will to chase or call after her, he couldn’t do anything. 

_ El is alive.  _

Every other feeling, every thought, was washed away.

-

Despite her talk of never running away, she couldn’t bear it. When confronted with reality... she couldn’t face it completely unflinching. 

_ You knew this would happen. Yet I still wasn’t prepared for it. _

She passed by windows and doors, light and shadow, before arriving to her destination. The place Byleth had texted her to come to. Right outside of their own classroom.

And there they were, waiting. As if they knew everything that was going to happen. As if they had directed the whole scene like a twisted play.

“So, Byleth. Why did you call me out here?”

Done with Byleth’s evasiveness and wanting answers, she kept her expression as controlled as she possibly could. Icy cold, despite the fire burning inside her.

“That’s professor to you. You’re a student, remember?”

They replied with a blank expression that was irritating Edelgard more and more.

Still... she knew Byleth wouldn’t give her any answers yet. She can’t be openly aggressive with them, or she could lose her chance altogether.

Though she doubted the mask she was wearing fooled them. Byleth always seemed to be able to look through everything.

It was unnerving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, whoops.  
> My life been occupied with RWBY, Genshin Impact, and school recently.   
> But since it's break now, I should be able to post more often! And we're coming up to a turning point as well...
> 
> Since her original hair colour is never shown in canon, I made Lysithea a redhead. Like dark red, not ginger.  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


End file.
